THE most common question that we get asked here at Houston Bike Exchange is whether or not a particular bike that we have advertised will “fit” them or not. The question usually starts goes something like this: “I’m 5′-10″ tall and weight 195 lbs; will this bike fit me?”
Your local bike shop is all about selling you a bike… TODAY… whether they have a bike that actually fits you correctly or not.
So we run across quite a few people who are riding bikes that don’t really fit them very well… because they needed a 61cm frame but the bike shop only had a 60… or 59… so the sales person convinced them that the wrong size frame could be made to work for them… by changing out the stem, using an offset seatpost, etc. Or maybe the rider bought the bike second hand from a friend or family member… who didn’t know anything about properly sizing bicycles.
The reality is that (1) EVERY bike–from EVERY manufacturer–has slightly different (sometimes DRAMATICALLY different ) geometry. As a consequence, (2) there is not ONE size frame that will fit any given rider PERFECTLY across all the various brands and models… (i.e. a 54cm Giant TCR Composite Zero is not going to feel / fit / ride the same as a 54cm Specialized Roubaix–or a 54cm Trek Madone). However, short of any other available common metric, frame size CAN be a great starting place when trying to find the right bike.
Short of having a custom frame built for you–designed using a system like Guru’s Dynamic Fit Unit (http://www.gurucycling.com/technology/#guru-tech-prompt1)… or Retul’s Muve Dynamic Fit Bike (https://www.retul.com/retul-products/), the only way to find a bike that fits you correctly is to RIDE as many bikes in your general size range as possible. FREQUENTLY people will come to our shop to ride one size bike… and leave with a different size bike… because the other bike simply fit them better.
And–though EVERY manufacturer uses different specs and theories and formulas to determine the different geometry for each model that they sell–there are a few, standardized, generally accepted sizing charts out there to help riders narrow down the plethora of options available to them.
Our site has links to the most common bicycle sizing charts (see link below). These matrixes use your height and your inseam to to help determine which frames COULD work for you. And once you have determined that frame size, you can use the quick filters (“Product Tags”) on nearly every page of the site–to quickly create a list off ALL bikes in your size(s) that Houston Bike Exchange currently has in stock.
https://houston-bike-exchange.com/bike-services/bike-size-charts/